Given the pace and defensive tenacity between Chagrin Falls and Kenston on Tuesday, their CVC Chagrin Division showdown had something in common with the thermometer outside.
Neither had a chance of breaking 50.
That hardly mattered to the Tigers, because they know a win over the neighborhood rival Bombers is a hot commodity.
Junior guard Sawyer McGuire scored host Chagrin’s final three points from the free-throw line, two of which came after a crucial defensive intervention with four seconds remaining, for a hard-fought, 39-36, win.
“I’ve said this many times: I love this game,” Chagrin coach Dave Bargar of the rivalry. “There is great competition between these two schools. I think the coaches have great respect for each other. We have respect for the other program. It shows when we play each other.
“We just play great basketball games.”
This, while low scoring and gritty, was no exception.
McGuire hit a free throw with 3:08 remaining to give Chagrin (12-1, 5-1) a 37-31 advantage.
After a basket by Jimmy Artale (11 points, five rebounds) late in the third, Kenston (12-3, 6-1) had gone cold from the floor. But Bernie Porter hit a baseline jumper with 2:29 remaining and followed with a 3-pointer 10 seconds later to pull the Bombers within 37-36. It broke a scoreless drought of 7:29.
In the waning seconds, Kenston had possession with a chance to grab the lead. The Tigers used their fouls to give, and on a subsequent inbounds pass, McGuire used his wingspan to cause a deflection and steal. He then stepped to the line and connected twice for the final margin.
“We were going to man up,” McGuire said of the defensive approach for that final possession. “I think there were six fouls, so we didn’t have any fouls to give. So we were going to man up, play tough D. I was guarding the guy out — he was my man.
“I just got up on him, looked for a deflection and I got one.”
The Bombers had a chance to go the length of the floor and look for a potential game-tying 3, but to no avail as Chagrin’s Jack Karyo (13 points, seven rebounds) grabbed control and let out a big yell as the buzzer sounded and his teammates converged.
The Tigers were down by eight at halftime and trailed by as many as 10 after an Artale bucket to start the second half that opened a 27-17 advantage.
Chagrin’s most vital trip may have been with a little more than three minutes left in the third quarter. Down, 29-21, Patrick Donley found Nate Diedrich, who hit a 3 from the left wing to pull the Tigers within five and, in turn, provide an obvious boost.
“It was huge,” McGuire said. “We feed off our 3s, and it’s what keeps us going.”
When Diedrich connected from beyond the arc, Kenston coach Josh Jakacki could sense a change in complexion.
“After the game, I told our staff that the play that broke our back was that,” Jakacki said. “Our defender slipped a little bit, we had to overhelp on the drive and Donley found Diedrich. We were up five at that point — he found him on the left wing and he buried it.
“Even though we still had the lead, I thought that play was actually the backbreaker.”
From there until McGuire’s free throws with 3:08 left, the Tigers went on a 16-2 run and sealed the big victory late on the other end of the floor.
“It’s a huge win,” McGuire said. “It means the world to us. We play for it all offseason. It’s what motivates us. We know the CVC is going to come down to us and Kenston most years, so it’s what keeps us going.”

Note: Full audio interviews with Bargar, McGuire and Jakacki can be found here.